Twenty Four Hours
by Xiala
Summary: When the CIA is contaminated by a fungal spore, Annie and Auggie are the only operatives not inside the building. When Joan identifies the spore, the building is sealed off, but if the two don't find the cure within 24 hours, everyone inside will die.
1. Contamination

Twenty-Four Hours

Fandom: Covert Affairs

Summary: When the CIA building is contaminated by a highly toxic fungal spore, Annie and Auggie are the only ones not inside the building at the time. After Joan identifies the spore, the building is sealed off and they realize that if they don't find the antidote within twenty-four hours, everyone inside the building will die.

Disclaimer: Don't own it. Never have. Probably never will.

A/N: First CA fic ever, so please don't yell at me too much if it's horrible! Which it probably is...

C_A

Joan was in her office when the toxin alert was sent. Reading the message that popped up on her computer screen, her heart skipped a beat and went into overdrive. _No. This can't be happening. _

Standing up from her chair so quickly she knocked it over and racing out of her office, Joan yelled, "Code Fourteen! I want everything sealed off, _yesterday!_"

The DPD was silent as the grave for a full 2.8 seconds. Then a techie called, "On it!"

Jai hurried over to Joan. "What's happening?" he demanded. "Why the biohazard alert? Is the CIA contaminated?"

"Yes," Joan said curtly. "This has all the trappings of a Dirty Demon fungal contamination. Please relay that to Arthur, _by phone._ I'll see if we have anyone on the outside who can help."

"Why can't we just evacuate?" Jai snapped.

"Because if this fungus gets out, it will kill more than just the CIA's employees, it will take out most of North America! If we can't stop it and save the CIA, the least we can do is not destroy the rest of the continent. Now GO!"

Whispers had broken out as the DPD's employees looked at Joan in terror.

Taking a deep breath, Joan said calmly and loudly, "There has been a fungal contamination. Dirty Demon, to be precise. Right now, _the worst thing we can do is panic_. Am I clear?"

Just about everyone in Joan's line of sight nodded.

"Good. Now, since we were sealed off rather quickly, we likely have a lower chance of succumbing to the infection in the normal stretch of time. However, the rest of the building has slightly less than twenty-four hours before the infection will have gone too far for anything to help them." Pausing for emphasis, she continued, "We have approximately twenty-six.

"I need anyone who has any knowledge of Dirty Demon spores to come up here so Jai can interview them. Anything helps. Don't hold back or be shy.

"If you have no knowledge of the spore, I want you to research it. If you come across anything that might help but is inaccessible due to it being classified, alert me or someone else with the required clearance and we will ensure you get access. This is a life-or-death situation. We can worry about classification later.

"All right, team, let's go."

Jai pulled his laptop out of his bag and opened up a word processing software. As people started leaving their desks to tell him what they knew, and he directed them to form lines. Joan was satisfied he had everything under control.

Joan returned to her office and sat down at her desk to make a phone call. She thanked the powers that be for the fact the Annie and Auggie were out in the field that day, and so could escape the infection, at the least. At best, they could find the antidote and save the CIA.


	2. A Half Hour Post Contamination

Twenty-Four Hours

Chapter Two: ½ Hour Post-Contamination

A/N: The response to the first chapter of this story just blew me away! I've never felt so loved. :D I guess my writing doesn't suck after all, eh? Special thanks go to those who reviewed. Cookies, cake, and lots of sugary drinks for all of you. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Covert Affairs. But the people who do don't mind if I borrow their characters. At least they'd better not… *grins evilly and eyes WMDs*

C_A

Annie and Auggie were walking out of Starbucks when Joan called.

"Auggie, can you hold my coffee for a moment?" Annie asked, handing her latte to him. Grumbling, he took it.

"Annie Walker, Smithsonian Museum."

"Annie, it's Joan," came the curt reply. "We have a Code Fourteen contamination at the CIA. Are you and Auggie somewhere secure?"

"In thirty seconds, we will be. I'll call you back."

Hanging up, Annie turned to Auggie. "We need to get back to base, ASAP."

Auggie nodded. They both hurried into the apartment building by the Starbucks, raced up the stairs, and went into their unit.

Annie brought out her phone again and pressed **redial** and **speaker**.

"Joan, what the hell is going on?" Auggie demanded when the phones connected.

"A Dirty Demon fungal infection affecting the whole CIA, that's what!" Joan shot back. Ignoring Auggie's stunned choking sound, she continued, "Jai and I are working on finding the info regarding the cure. You two are the only operatives we have on the outside within the Langley/McLean area.

"Annie, a DD infection is a slow killer, taking out infected people in approximately twenty-four hours. It's been about a half-hour since the infection, give or take. We need you two to locate the cure, once we've found out what it is. This is a matter of life and death. Specifically, the life of the CIA's employees, and if the spore gets out, the death of most of North bloody America!"

The operatives were maintaining a stunned silence when Joan added softly, "I don't want the CIA to be destroyed. I don't want everyone I've ever worked with, barring the two of you, to die painfully, unable to breathe, with black, disgusting, fungus-and-blood scum drowning them from the inside of their lungs.

"I want to live."

Annie took a deep breath. "Joan, we will do everything we possibly can to find the cure and get it to you before twenty-four hours is up."

"Thank you," Joan said softly. "That's all I ask."

A/N: Sorry it's so short! Also, I have another chapter about half-finished. Review if you want me to post it today or tomorrow. :P


	3. 1 Hour Post Contamination

Twenty Four Hours

Chapter 3: 1 to 1 ½ Hours Post-Contamination

A/N: Here it is, finally! I'm so sorry it took me so long. The file I'd saved the mostly finished chapter as got deleted somehow! *cries* Several days of hard work, down the flippin' drain. And right after I returned to the hell on Earth we call 'school.' I kinda rushed putting it back together and it may get rewritten if I have time and you guys and girls hate it enough. Suggestions would be very welcome!

You all get extra cookies for not yelling at me and bearing with me while I reconstructed the whole nine yards from scratch. Thank you, everyone!

C_A

"Oi, Joan!" Jai called. "We may have our answer."

Joan stopped pacing back and forth outside her office and sprinted over to Jai's desk. Hope flared up inside of her again.

"What have you got?" she asked brusquely.

Jai rotated his laptop so she could see what was on the monitor.

"Moss?"

Rolling his eyes slightly, Jai nodded. "It's a type of moss found in woodlands in north Pennsylvania. When ground to a dust in, say, a blender, and then mixed with water vapour, and dispersed through the air of a building contaminated by the DD spore, it kills it off very quickly. If it's inhaled, it can even kill off an infection if it's not too far along the road. Twenty-five hours post-infection, you're dead. The name, oddly enough, is nowhere to be found, but we've got a full taxonomy. I'll transfer it to your computer via drop-box, and from there, can you send it to Annie and Auggie?"

"Consider it done," Joan said, her relief evident. Then she frowned. "Wait-did you say northern Pennsylvania?"

"Yes, I did." Jai sighed. "I really hope those kids have a good car, or they aren't going to get this moss here in time."

"I have full confidence in Annie and Auggie," Joan said calmly. Starting towards her office, she turned and called over her shoulder, "Those documents should be on my computer before I am!"

Sniggering, Jai put the information in the drop-box folder, sending it to Joan's computer before she'd even turned around.

C_A

Annie pounced on her phone on the first ring.

"Annie Walker, Smithsonian Institution."

"It's Joan. We've got something."

Inhaling sharply, Annie replied, "That's the best news I've had all day."

"I'm transferring the information regarding the cure to your phone as we speak," Joan said. Annie could faintly hear the sound of computer keys, and Joan's voice sounded as if she was holding the phone between her face and shoulder.

Pulling her phone away from her ear and looking at the picture that appeared in the text, Annie frowned. "Is that moss?" she queried.

"Yes," Joan said dryly. "I had the same reaction. If this wasn't so serious, I'd be fairly certain Jai was pulling my leg!

"As it is, we need a hefty sample of the stuff, and we need it soon."

"Got it," Annie said with steely resolve. "See you later."

Flipping her phone closed, she looked at Auggie. "We have some moss to find."

C_A

My file being erased isn't a good reason for you to deny me the joy of getting reviews. *gives mournful look*


	4. First Symptoms

Twenty Four Hours

Chapter Four: First Symptoms (Two Hours Post-Contamination)

A/N: My Net went down again just after I'd finished the third chapter, and, as I type this, it still hasn't been posted. Since you're all so wonderful, I'm writing this instead. Annie's yelling at me to make something fun happen, so here goes! (But I don't think this was quite what she had in mind…)

C_A

Joan was pacing. Again.

She had nothing better to do, since Annie and Auggie knew what to look for and were on their way to find it.

Pausing and looking around the DPD, she saw people playing cards and board games, doing stuff on their computers, pretending that it was normal.

Then the dizziness hit her.

Joan almost fell to the floor. Grabbing the side of her desk to steady herself, she slowly sat down in her chair.

Dizziness was the first symptom of a DD infection, she recalled. Once it turned up, you had about twenty-three hours left before you were too far gone for the antidote to save you.

Once the room stopped rotating, Joan slowly stood back up. Another wave hit her as she was halfway to her door, and she steadied herself by leaning against the wall.

Luckily, or not so much, the dizziness subsided when the fungus has a foothold in your respiratory system. Joan remained against the wall until she felt steady again. Nothing had changed, or so it seemed until she took a breath. There was a slight heaviness in her lungs.

It really sunk in for Joan when she felt the fungus settle into her lungs. If Annie and Auggie didn't find the cure, she would die. As would her CIA-family.

And America would be left defenceless.

That scared her more than anything.

C_A

Jai coughed as he felt the lining of his lungs thicken. The dizziness hadn't hit him so hard, since he'd been sitting at his computer, playing Pong. Well, the game hadn't liked being abandoned...

It terrified him, the fact that his own mortality was staring him in the face. He didn't want to die, not here, not now.

He'd always imagined dying by taking a gunshot for someone else, or by running into a blast zone to save a child, or just of plain old age. Not of drowning on dry land, with black fungus-blood filling his lungs. _What an ignoble way to go,_ he thought dryly.

But he wasn't going to die now, he reminded himself. Annie and Auggie were on the search for the cure. They would find it.

They had to.

Jai knew he needed to cling to his hope. It was all he had.

C_A

A/N: See the pretty button just below these words? Want to make me a very happy girl and click it?


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